Summary:
ZIP code 99623 in Wasilla, AK, is served by two public schools in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District (ranked 6th of 23 Alaska districts, with a 4-star rating) and has no standalone elementary or middle schools. The schools are Joe Redington Senior Junior/Senior High School, a traditional secondary school with 497 students in grades 6–12, and American Charter Academy, an alternative K–12 charter school with 193 students, serving 690 students in total.
American Charter Academy is the clear academic standout, posting 69.23% proficiency in science, 68.53% in ELA, and 75.52% in math — roughly double district averages and more than double the state's math rate. Joe Redington trails district averages in every subject, with math at just 20.89%, ELA at 28.57%, and science at 38.14%, creating a gap of nearly 55 percentage points in math. The charter advantage holds even in shared grade bands, such as 6th grade math (76% vs. 24.29%) and 8th grade ELA (81.25% vs. 28%). Joe Redington's state rank has improved from 55th to 41st in recent years, and it posts a strong 90% graduation rate, above the district's 84.2%.
The biggest concern at Joe Redington is math in high school, where proficiency drops from about 24% in 6th grade to just 11.67% in 9th grade. Meanwhile, American Charter Academy spends more per student ($18,018 vs. $15,358), although that data is older. Missing data limits comparison: American Charter Academy does not report free/reduced-price lunch eligibility or a current graduation rate, and its 0.0% graduation figure from 2023–24 is likely a data anomaly rather than a real outcome. In sum, these two schools in one ZIP code could hardly be more different — one produces excellent test scores across subjects, while the other graduates students at a high rate but struggles academically, especially in math. Parents weighing options should factor in each school's grade span and structure, but the academic outcomes speak clearly for themselves.
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